Limitations
by Blood in Water
Summary: Steel could not cease the flow of fear, but love of it? Al has been plagued by his condition for years, but when someone finds him winsomely attractive, will amorous connection be able to overcome limitation? [rated for broad angst]
1. Finding of Self

**Chapter;Finding of Self**

_Bane; "O__kay; this one is going to be angsty...I guess. But no lemons, sorry A."_

_A; "How could you!"_

Bane; "Anyway, this one focuses more on Al (poor Ed!) because everybody ignores the thought that maybe Al could get a girl. (Yay?) So, without further ado;"

Drumstick; "Hey! What about my part?"

Bane; "Oh, yeah, Laura, mind doing a drumroll for us?"

Drumstick; -grumbles-

**-drumroll-**

**

* * *

**

**An immense shot of anony ran along the entirity of his body. Fear and adreneline aided him to break from his momentary shock. Golden eyes looked into mirrored like-nesses of themselves. Alphonse let out a slight cry. His sibling attempted to rise to his feet, trying to grasp onto his younger brother's arm. But by then, his left leg had begun to disappear. Al was crying out, calling to Edward to assist him. He fought the forces of Alchemy, struggling against the wiry fingers of sheer light. And yet, all the older brother could do was watch, paralyzed.**

**A sinking sensation errupted slowly over him. This was his fault. Hadn't he insisted that this be done? Hadn't he been impatient to research further months towards equivalent exchange of the human soul?**

**Ever so sluggishly, the unsatisfied laws began decomposing his body. Claw-like figures dragged him slowly towards the transmutation symbol. The beauty of the streaked colors that illuminated the dust-ridden room, magenta and sky-blue, were lost on Alphonse, who was much too occupied watching wide-eyed and horrified at the sight that now met his eyes.**

**Teeth bared, hands clawing aimlessly at the hardwood floor, Ed braced himself for the gripping pain that now swept through his lower leg. The tears came none the less, as skin and muscle were shredded away. When it soon reached the bone, layers of marrow were removed first. Blood pooled sparingly around him. After all, he seemed to need as much as he could get, only exchanging two drops of abundant fluid for something so costly that no other man had ever achieved the feat of gaining it.**

**It was then that Al slipped into darkness, worry gripping him with cold, steel-like fingers. Never to suspect exactly what hell would soon break out. Never to suspect how much it would cost him to wake to the stifled whimpers of his older brother.**

**He always woke at the white-knuckled image of Edward sitting against the wall. Everything was gone. His stubborn-ness, his pride; nothing but withering despair flashed in the once spirited amber eyes. Consciousness always reclaimed him after viewing scarlet fluid flow heavily from the beaten boy that had already known too much sorrow. **

"Al? Al, you okay?"

He didn't answer, just rose to his feet. A disoriented feeling spread across him as it had since the night he had woken to find himself inhuman. For some reason, he always felt dizzy, out of place.

Pools of amber worry gazed into his own glowing red ones. Damn, his armor must have shuddered in his sleep. Although he wasn't much for lying or brushing off inquiries about his pain like his older sibling, he had grown particularly well adept in this one fib.

* * *

_Bane; " I looked up adept in the dictionary and you'll never believe what I found. The Dictionary is called 'Websters New World; College Dictionary 4th edition'._

_Adept- (e dept'; also. And for n. always ad'ept') **adj.** L. Adpetus,pp of adipisci, to arrive at as, to + aiscim; to pursue, attain **(BANE: "I swear, it gets better) **:used in ML of alchemists claiming to have arrived at the philosipher's stone highly skilled; expert…and tons of other junk. **BUT WHERE DOES ADEPT GO INTO ALCHEMISTS!**"_

**

* * *

**

"I'm fine, Brother. Just had another nightmare about cotton candy."

"Al, I swear, I'm going to have to find the right word for the phobia of cotton candy."

The nausea never failed to cease after the first few minutes.

Alphonse looked around, letting his gaze rest on every detail of his surroundings. For some reason, he had begun a ritual with himself.

He remembered everywhere they had ever gone. He could recall every tortuous detail of every failure to reclaim their mutilated bodies. He felt that he had to. If he didn't, wouldn't they forget past mistakes? Couldn't their loss be greater if he lost sight of one single aspect of their journeys? Couldn't their lives be at stake if one of them failed to recollect the details of their travels the next time they attempted human transmutation?

In one corner lay a small bed, where Ed had slept, and in the other, a beaten armchair that had known better days, and obviously less coffee stains. The wallpaper was torn in several places, and was cracking in others. Although, due to how grotesque it was, it really was no loss. If only it was lacerated more, in fact. The room wouldn't have seemed so unattractive. A leather bag sat discarded at the foot of the mattress. Nothing else except a few unexplainable nails that were poking uselessly about each wall adorned the ill-kept area. But then, at least they'd been able to find some decent, (if it could be classified as such), housings for the night.

"I'm hungry, what about you, Al?"

Ed was jesting, obviously. He hadn't been able to eat in five years. "Mm...I could go for a few nuts and bolts." Alphonse returned the favor.

"Didn't a meal come with the lodgings, Brother?"

Ed looked around and put one of his 'are-you-shittin'-me' looks.

"Well…yeah…but, to be truthful, Al, I was kinda' afraid of finding roaches in the soup."

This earned his older brother a well-deserved laugh. After a moment, however, Alphonse stepped forward. With a clatter, he smirked, fishing the money pouch from the leather bag.

"My turn to go out for food, Brother." He jingled the contents of the pouch cruelly. "You'll have to stay here and think about how long I'm taking."

They had had to begin going out one at a time; they were too noticeable as a pair. Not that it had bothered them before, but they had met a rather unfriendly group of thieves that reacted to the wrath of justification from a small 'runt' rather…profanely. It had been necessary to watch their backs lately.

He loved being free in the world, and was beginning to loathe being cooped up. But one thing; he felt slightly abashed in the presence of people who knew nothing of what he felt; knew nothing of what it felt to have limbs that weren't flesh. He should have been used to it. He should have- but Alphonse had never been able to cease his self-conscious sentiments.

* * *

_Bane; "I must add in my defense, (to all those grammatical flamers), that I DID use sentiments and abashed correctly._

_Abash; to make embarrassed and ill and ease; make self conscious; disconcert._

_Sentiment; def. 2 a thought, opinion, judgement, or attitude, usually the result of careful consideration, but often colored with emotion; often used in plural."_

_A; "I really don't think they'd care."_

_Bane; "they would too. And anyway, I am determined to use an extensive range of vocabulary."_

_Drumstick; "You're just proving that you need the dictionary to do it."_

_Bane; "Am not. I just check to make sure I'm using the word right."_

_A and Drumstick; "Uhn-huh. Sure."_

_Bane; "You're right." weeps in violent sobs. "I can't do it!"_

_A; "Five…four…three…two…one…"_

_Bane; "Yes I can! I'll prove it! You'll see!" Hops off with keyboard_

_Drumstick; "Think she'll ever realise she's that predictable?"_

_A; "Naaahhh."_

* * *

He loved to look at all the wonders of every town. There was no two alike, and after having to be cautiously waiting for his turn to explore, he had to fight to keep himself from speaking to new people, learning new customs. And yet, to do so might mean having to bring the tale to light. And he couldn't do that anymore. The past still burned his long unhealed scars. 

Alphonse passed stalls that lined the streets. People bustled noisily about him. The roads, a lovely sand-colored brick, mingled brilliantly with the surrounding sunlight. The world seemed more perfect then he could have remembered. Still feeling light and enthusiastic, he almost skipped about, watching children play innocently on the sidewalks. There were little wooden theatre sets for the littlest ones to follow a play. The steel armored figured stood motionless, watching a story of clay marrionettes become stunning characters in a plot. A little girl puppet fell in love with a man composed mostly of iron. Although the ending was a bit too cheery for his taste, it comprised mainly of a tale worthy of describing Ed and Winry. He chuckled to himself, imagining his brother telling Winry how he felt. It would be a long time before that happened…

"That was neat!"

"Yeah." He heard two small voices behind him exchanging a discussion. Upon looking, he spotted the source; two small boys, no smaller than they had been when…were conversing casually about the previous puppet show.

"Wouldn't it be cool to be made of metal?"

The other laughed enthusiastically. _If only they knew_, he thought viciously. _If _**_only_**_ they knew_.

* * *

_Bane; "Want more? Feed me reviews!" _

_A; "Who are you trying to kid? Of course they don't want more!"_

_Bane; -sobs-_


	2. Her

**Chapter 2; Her**

_Bane; "I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. If I did, you'd all be my minions, and Edward, oh! HE'D BE MINE!"_

* * *

_Bane; "Hey Drumstick? A?"_

_Chorus; "Yes?"_

_Bane; "Well, I was wondering…notice that fanfiction authors get more reviews when they don't update regularly…"_

_A; "Yeah…maybe…"_

_Drumstick; "Whatever. Just update."_

_A; "But, Drumstick, she has a point…perhaps she ought to wait a while between updates…"_

_Drumstick; "But it makes people happier if she puts up the next chapter as soon as she's done…"_

_A; "Yes…but it makes her even happier to read long pages of reviews."_

_Bane; "Or maybe it's me. Maybe my story doesn't sound interesting enough to read…so only thirteen people review over and over again (those of you, you know who you are; and you ROCK!)"_

_A; "Then let us turn to the reviewers; which do you think it is?"_

_Drumstick; "LAURA tells all; and she says update. Yeah!"_

_Bane; "And still, my friends complain that I don't always ask them for advice…"_

* * *

A firm hand held her tightly by the elbow. 

"Let me go!"

"Oh, now, I've been watching you… and my boys told me I could have you. After all, you've done alchemy before. Why shouldn't I get to try it on you—"

Her blow to his face did nothing; he only caught her other wrist, pulling her to face him.

"Never again!" She screamed, tears streaming from her colorless eyes. The sunglasses had been thrown away from her, lying shattered somewhere in the alleyway.

"Oh, surely it mustn't have been that bad…"

"Y-you do-don't… Try t-to u-und-understand me! Y-you don't want a-anything to d-do with deep a-alchemy!"

"Is that so?"

The four men surrounding the pair snickered.

"Look, Chim, it is okay if I call you that, right? I mean, you're gonna be my newest--half-breed buddy after all, and for once, your name will suit you… I really wouldn't call it deep alchemy. And believe me, I might not want anything to do with it, but by the time I'm finished with you, you'll be begging to committ yourself to it…"

"It'll ta-take your l-life if you're n-not careful." She choked out. Words were becoming difficult to form; he'd dented the automail, making it unusually harder to breathe.

"Oh, but I will be careful, at least, with myself…you? I'm not so sure…"

"Please! M-mercy!".

"Tell you what; I'll let you go if you can answer me one question."

"A-Anything!" She pleaded. He showed her the sleeve of his shirt. Everyone else knew what he was going to say before he said it; everyone but her. A flare of hope had begun to form within her. If only she could get away…

"Tell me what color this is!"

Their laughter burned fiercely in her ears. The cruelty poured into her inner being; consuming her. Tears fellonce againfrom her eyes. The agony agony of the bitter fluid caracked her voice as she struggled tospeak. She was trembling fiercely,shaking her head in shame of her weakness. It was alchemy that had done this to her. Alchemy.

"I--I c-can't!"

He threw her away from him, causing her seemingly frail body to collide into the brick wall behind her. Oh yeah, she'd definitely need new automail.

"Easy with her, there won't be anything left of her to make a chimera with."

The man turned laughing to his comrade.

"She can take it."

She took her chance limping out of the alleyway, into the marketsquare. He had knocked her groceries from her arms; the reason she had first walked foolishly into it to retrieve them.

With five men on her tail, she dashed into the crowd attempting to meld into the surroundings. If only she hadn't meddled in alchemy… The townfolk, most of who had heard of her, leaped smartly aside as though she possessed leprosy. The rest, seeing the others step aside for her, did so too, until he was standing in the middle of a nearly cleared road. She ran forward as the people on the sidelines watched, murmuring untold rumors about her.

"Help me!"

They only watched, whispers drowning in the silence. Still, she limped forward, the road filling back with people as she left. They smiled vaguely at the five men, after all, what did they care if she was caught by strange men? She was devoted to the sorcery of alchemy, and if they brought her to her death, she'd be indeed fortunate.

"Damn you!" she yelled, stumbling as she struggled forward. "Damn you all straight to hell!" Their answers were not whispered now.

"Assistance comes not to the traitors."

"Hell waits only for abominations like you!"

"Let those who bear the mark of steel be damned, not those who hold their souls in security!"

* * *

The crowd parting a small ways ahead caught his attention. What could all the screaming be about? 

"Damn you!"

A girl, bruised and limping made her way through the street. Her breathing was uneven, her eyes averted to the ground, as though she wished no body to peer into them. Her hair, a deep red mahogany, streamed behind her. She wore a pair of baggy gray pants, shoes made for the agilant step, and a tight, dull vermillion tanktop that covered most of her sloping shoulders, and that revealed her lower midriff.

Not looking where she way going, she ran into Al, causing him to take a step back, and her to fall backwards completely.

"I-I'm so—so sorry."

Alphonse helped her up, wondering, after a moment, why she wouldn't look directly at him. A hiss sounded, growing larger as more people joined in. Whispers of, "He touched her!" or "He is of the damned, now." and "Let us pray for his salvation."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

A shout echoed through the streets.

"Hand her over!"

Alphonse looked up, surprised to see a group of men a few yards away.

"Why should I?"

"She's ours."

"And what do you plan to do with her?"

The girl made to pull away, but Al held her fast.

"That is none of your concern!"

Alphonse seemed afronted. What was going on?

"Mmm. Well, that's great. But by the looks of it, I don't think she really wants to go with you guys."

"What she wants is not of your concern either!" Another piped, aggrivation seeping from all five of them.

"I have a deep passion for meddling in things."

One of them couldn't hold it any longer, lunging in to take the girl by force. Bad move. Two minutes, and he lay on the ground, face bloodied.

"Anyone else?"

They backed away slightly.

Al leaned over to whisper in the girl's ear.

She nodded, face still directed downwards.

"1…2…3!"

She burst into a run, the streets opening at her approach. Al faced the men, who were snorting in distaste now.

"Get to her, and you'll have gone through me."

* * *

_Bane; "Leaving it at a bit of a short cliffy. Next chapter you'll learn more about this mysterious girl. She's about the age of Al, of his's age I'll have to go back and calculate to tell you in the next chapter."_

_A; "Bane wants to know what you think her so-called 'mentioned' automail replaces. It would be fun to see what you guys come up with."_

_Drumstick; "slight hint if you want to try to figure the girl out on your own; everything had to do with her eyes. Or, nearly everything. Basically; it's REALLY important."_


	3. Shades of Grey

**Chapter 3; Shades of Grey**

_Bane; "For those who complained that the last chapter was short, I have news for you. There's a reason. I can think ahead, which is why I'm never giving up on a fic. If one chapter is short, that means that either the next chapter is REALLY long, and has more dramatic flow than if I had continued, or there will be a REALLY long one in up coming chapters."_

_A; "She tells no lies…"_

_Drumstick; "A would never say that."_

_A; "And?"_

_Drumstick; "Well, you'd say something more like: 'Gosh, Bane. They should just get over the chapter's shortness.' Or 'Bane shouldn't have to write a long thing to explain why she did something'."_

_A; "I'm not that mean!"_

_Drumstick; -points to letter written to Basser in Brought to Light Chapter 8-_

_A; "That wasn't mean!"_

_Drumstick; -points to part that reads 'Dear Basser, you are an idiot.'_

_A; 0.o "Did I write that?"_

_Bane; "I think A has made progress enough for today."

* * *

_

Tension was high.

The figure that had been tormenting the girl stepped forward.

"You willing to take that chance?"

"By the sound of it, you couldn't be much older than a kid. Take the armour off. You might…_get hurt_."

Alphonse laughed.

"Maybe later."

_Or maybe never again._

Refusing to underestimate this stranger, he spat, and walked off in the opposite direction. The others followed. _This is so weird._ Failing miserably at his attempt to understand what had just occured, Alphonse began to clatter down the path that the girl had taken. He searched for hours, and he never found her.

* * *

"Where you been?" Al dropped a bag of chicken legs before the salavating Edward.

"Met someone, Brother."

"Oh. Mmm. Who was he?"

The steel was incompatible to his amusement.

"Dunno. But she was pretty."

Chewing on a bone as though its marrow held the answer to the question, Ed managed to say through a mouthful of meat,

"_She_?"

"Yeah. But she wouldn't look at me."

Alphonse had to supress the urge to add, '…and I guess it was because I look the way I do.' The surprised laugher that had been so prominent just a few seconds ago was gone; Edward knew exactly what he had been biting back. Seventeen was a large sum of numbers to know someone for.

"Al, I'm sure that wasn't it."

"What wasn't it?"

He really was awful at hiding things.

"The reason she wouldn't look at you."

Alphonse released a sigh, understanding it meant admitting he knew what his older sibling was talking about, and not really caring.

"How would you know?"

"Because you don't scare _me_."

"Because _you_ created me."

The words stung slightly. Twiddling his thumbs, Edward waited for his sibling to say something, _anything_.

Silence reared mercilessly. 

"I got a call from the Colonel..."

"What did he say?" He inquired quickly; anything to repel the silence…

"I wasn't really listening to the bastard…"

"Brother!"

"I'm kidding Al, I'm kidding. He said he found a lead for us. Someone who attempted to make a philosopher's stone… and got farther than anyone has ever gone. So we're staying here for another week or so. We may be able to find them."

"So…they might know something that we don't."

The boy nodded. The excitement was plainly exposed to the world through his eyes of gold.

"But there's a slight problem."

"And, what is it?"

"They don't know who it is."

The situation dawned on him. They were going to have to search for one person in a village of nearly one hundred.

"And there's a good detail of progress."

Feeling slightly inpatient with this guessing-game, he sighed, glaring at his older sibling with reddened glow.

"We're looking for someone with automail." Edward smiled, thinking that even he couldn't deny the optimism that coursed through him with this new information. Some part of him would soon level it with his usual overdose of pessimism, but until then…

* * *

Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight. The streets were illuminated by it: the strangely welcoming, yet cold hue that took the night only ten days once every month. Of course, it appeared nearly every night in between, but the sky was not as binding, the light not nearly as captivating. 

She was barefoot, and wore a casual white sundress. Her hair was tied back, its reddish tint giving it new beauty. She enjoyed looking good for the moon. It was a nice feeling to know that her Luna wouldn't cast her away as the sun saw fit to.

Her feet made only a small patter on the stone streets. She was alone, utterly in solitude. And she found herself hating it, and loving it at the same time.

* * *

He watched the evening pass through the window. Edward was already asleep, tostling in his usual nightmarish slumber.

* * *

_Bane; "And flexing attractively in his Eddishly Gorgeous Boxers!"_

_A; -.-' "Now do you see why I make fun?"_

* * *

His lazy interest in the streets changed as he sighted a girl, somewhat like the one he had met only today, wandering down the barren path. A longing, deep within him, erupted. He had to go see her… 

As he opened the door, she paused, quickly jumping away. She positioned her arm over her face, as though to shield it, all in one moment. She was a good three yards apart from him now.

Within a twominute hesitation, she lowered her arm. He noticed that the pigment was oddly dicolored. As though it had had to reform and not mastered the proper tint. He could tell by the slight scarring that it had been something chemical related… by her reactions…had someone thrown a mild acid at her from a doorway? Alphonse dared not ask.

Recognizing his figure in the bright moon's rays, she gave a weak smile. Still, she didn't make her way nearer.

"I…I never thanked you for… helping me…"

'Saving' sounded to cliché to her. Although it would have been the better description in that case…

He nodded with a small clatter.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Just… you're on your own again."

"Oh. I guess… I always come out for the full moon."

He took a moment to study the orb, and gave another nod.

"Never really noticed."

"No body ever does."

She would have turned and fled. Talking to people, having actual conversations with them was strange to her now. Ever since the rumor had spread, conversing was dangerous and unwanted.

But she owed it to him at least not to turn away. She had long ago ignored her decision to stop running, but her feet sent the ground to blurring, and her fear sent the world to spinning.

* * *

_Bane; "It's a short chapter…but I think that you'll live… Besides…three other stories have been updated."_

_A; "Two other…pointless…stories…"_

_Drumstick; "So what are you waiting for? Review already!"

* * *

__Bane; "Okay, I know Isaid there'd bean explanation...but I PROMISE, it'll come next chapter! I couldn't do it for this one because it broke the flow a bit..._


End file.
